This invention relates to a sleeping pillow, especially a pillow that includes an inflatable air bag disposed within an annular cushioner sleeve. The pillow of the present invention comprises a battery-operated air compressor located within a pocket at one end of the pillow. A manual control means is associated with the compressor, whereby the compressor can be energized to pressurize the air bag within the pillow. To provide a further control on the relative hardness or softness of the pillow there is provided a manually-operated means for exhausting pressurized air from the bag. The manual control system is such that the person can raise or lower the bag pressure while the person's head is resting on the pillow surface. The person can thus experience the effect of a pillow that is too hard or too soft, and change the condition of the pillow until it corresponds with that person's particular requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,614 to J. Harper shows a pillow that includes a main body formed out of foam rubber, and four generally cylindrical air bags insertable into cylindrical chambers that extend transversely within the foam rubber body. The patentee indicates that the four air bags can be inflated to an infinite number of pressures for controlling the firmness of the support provided by the main foam body.
It is believed that the use of four air bags, as disclosed in the Harper patent, would tend to provide an uneveness in the support action, with areas of the foam body aligned with the air bags being relatively firm, and with other areas being relatively soft.
The individual air bags in the Harper pillow are equipped with air valves that can be accessed after a zipper structure on the pillow case has been moved to an open position. The individual valves are recessed into the chambers that contain the associated air bags. Therefore access to the valves for filling the bags (or exhausting air from the bags) is not easily accomplished.
It is not entirely clear what type of air pressure source would be used with the Harper pillow to supply pressurized air to the air bags. In any event the air pressure source (manual foot pump or motor-operated compressor) would have to be connected to each air valve and later disconnected from each air valve. The process would be somewhat time-consuming. Also, the process of adding or removing pressurized air would presumably not be carried out while the person's head was resting on the pillow surface. The person very likely would not have a personal sense of the pillow feel on his/her head while going through the process of varying the pressure within the four air bags.
My proposed pillow is constructed to have a self-contained air compressor and manual control unit, such that the person can vary the air bag pressure while his/her head is resting on the pillow surface. The person can thus experience the effect of an increased air bag pressure or a decreased air bag pressure, and at the same time make adjustments based on the feel of the pillow, rather than on a guess as to what would be most comfortable.